Machine for marking the superficial area of leather and like material.



G. A. SCHETTLER. MACHINE FOR MARKING THE SUPERFICIAL AREA OF LEATHER AND LIKE MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5. I912.

Patented Feb. 29,, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. A. SCHETTLER. MACHINE FOR MARKING THE SUPERFICIAL AREA OF LEATHER AND LIKE MATERIALS.

- APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5,1912.

1, 173,31 2. Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Hllllll lllll| G. A. SCHETTLER. MACHINE FOR MARKING THE SUPERFICIAL AREA OF LEATHER AND LIKE MATERIALS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5,1912.

1 1 '73, 3 l 2 Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- THE COLUMBIA PLAIEIQGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D c.

GUSTAV ADOLF SCI-IETTLER. OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR MARKING THE SUPERFICIAL AREA 013 LEATHER AN'D LIKE MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Application filed October 5, 1912. Serial No. 724,177.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAv Anonr SOHETTLER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Machines for Marking the Superficial Area of Leather and like Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for measuring the superficial area of material such for example as leather, cloth, paper and the like.

The present invention is an improvement in or modification of the marking mechanism described in my prior British specification No. 3920 of 1910, and U. S. Patent No. 1,114,917 granted to me October 27, 1914.

According to the present invention, the series of plungers or slide rods which make contact with the stepped disks of the indicator pointers as described in the prior specification and U. S. patent, have combined therewith improved and modified mechanism for marking the indicated measurements upon the material, one feature of said improved mechanism being that it is power driven by mechanical means which operate quite independently of the measuring mechanism of the machine, while a further feature is that after being started it operates automatically to perform the complete marking operation.

Various other improvements falling within the ambit of the invention are also made in the marking mechanism as will be hereinafter described.

In describing the invention reference will be hereinafter made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the application of the improvements according to this inven tion to mechanism of the construction described in the prior specification No. 3920 of 1910 and U. S. patent referred to.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional side view of the marking mechanism according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of part of said mechanism. Fig. 3 is a side view of a modified form of the marking device. Fig. I is a rear elevation of the marking mechanism according to this invention. Fig. 5 is aplan view of part of the actuating mechanism. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the improved mechanism for setting the type or marking devices.

Like parts are designated by the same reference characters in. all the figures of the drawings.

To facilitate the comprehension of the present improvements, reference is directed to the prior and U. S. patent for a description of the construction and operation of those parts of the original mechanism to which reference is made herein. In subsequently referring to these original parts the original reference characters will be employed to designate them.

Instead of the plungers or slide rods 17 operating a series of swinging segments as in the original mechanism, each plunger or slide rod 17 is, according to the present in vention, arranged to actuate a slide bar 1 (Figs. 1 and 6) which cooperates with a pulley or wheel 2 around which passes one end of a continuous type carrying member 3. The type carrying members may each consist of a belt or band as shown in Fig. 3 in which case they would be carried by pulleys at the top, but preferably said members are in the form of endless chains as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and are supported and driven by the wheels 2 of a suitable construction to engage said chains. Each chain or band 3 passes around a wheel 4 (Fig. 1) or drum or pulley 5 (Fig. 8) respectively, said wheels 4 or pulleys 5 being located over the carrier bed 46 of the machine. Each chain 3 has thereon a number of type figures or marking devices 6, these having flat surfaces so that when the material is brought into contact therewith in a manner described later, a complete impression of the type will be made upon the material.

When the continuous type carrying members are in the form of belts or bands, the type figures project from the surface thereof and the drums or pulleys 5, by preferonce, have a periphery composed of a series of flat surfaces or faces as shown in Fig. 3, each face being adapted to support a length of the type band containing a type figure. In this manner the drums or pulleys 5 will present a fiat portion of the type band to the material, so that the latter receives a clear impression of the type and moreover does not receive the impression of more than one figure on each band at a time. The bottom carrier wheels 1 or pulleys 5 of the type chains or bands are rotatably mounted on a shaft 7, supported by side arms 8 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) which replace the rocking arms 23 of the original mechanism but which in the present case are not movable although, as willl be described later, they may be adjustab e. 1

The chain or bandsupporting wheels 2 are mounted on a shaft 9, and this is carried by the levers 21 (Figs. 1, 2 and 1) which instead of being movable on their fulcrums 25 as heretofore are now fixed thereon. The shafts 7 and 9 are kept at the required dis tance apart by rods 10, the opposite ends of which are screw threaded right and left hand respectively, so that by rotating the rods, the arms 8 may be moved relatively to the levers 21 to take up any slackness which may be present in the chains or bands 3. Each wheel 2 with which a slide bar 1 cooperates is furnished on one side thereof with a plurality of projecting pins 11 (Figs. 1, 4; and 6) or similar stops, disposed in the form of a spiral or volute around the axis of the wheel (see particularly Fig. l). The slide bar 1 is movable to and fro across the side of the wheel 2 as indicated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 1, and is arranged so that the projecting pins or stops 11 may make contact with its side when the wheel is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow. The wheels 2 are frictionally driven independently of each other from the shaft 9, and a convenient manner of effecting this drive is to rotatably mount thesaid wheels upon the shaft with a suitable friction washer 12 on each side thereof, as shown in Figs. a and 6. The wheels 2 and washers 12 are tightly pressed together by means of a spring 13 at one or each end, said spring or springs being compressed by a nut 14: or other adjustable member on the shaft 9 and by a collar 15 thereon. lVashers 18 may be interposed between the outermost washers 12 and the springs 13. The washers 1.2 are suitably driven by the shaft 9 (such as by the engagement of a key in the washers with a groove in the shaft), and said washers frictionally impart rotation to the wheels.

The shaft 9 is driven by means which will be hereinafter described, and when rotated in one directio (indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1) it imparts rotation to the wheels 2 until the movement of each wheel is arrested by the contact of one of its pins or stops 11 with a slide bar 1, whereupon the shaft ceases to drive the'wheels. Normally the type chain wheels 2 occupy a zero position in which a pin 19 at the end of the spiral line of pins 11 contacts with a suitable stop 20 (Fig. 1). Each slide 'bar 1 is connected with its respective plunger or slide rod 17 by suitable mechanism, so that when the slide rods are arrest-ed in various positions by the stepped disks 16 of the indicator pointers, the slide bars 1 will assume corresponding positions, that is to say, they will be projected to various extents across .tuates the plungers 17 and slide bars 1 for type setting purposes, when arod 29-which normally supports the said arms 28is lowered. A reverse movement of the rod 29 returns the plungers 17 and slide bars 1 to the zero position by raising the arms 28 of the rock levers 22. The rod 29 is carried at each end by an arm 30 fulcrumed at 21, and is raised and lowered by means of adjustable side connections 31 (Figs. 1 and 4), actuated by bell-crank levers 32 and aslide bar 33, the latter receiving a back ward or forward movement at the times required from a cam 34 on a wheel. 35. The side connections 31 may have weights'36 or springs (not shown) may be employed to effect the movement thereof in one direction. The slide bars 1 having been moved across the sides of the wheels 2 to positions corresponding to the plungers 17, the wheels are rotated until their movement is arrested by the contact in each case of one of their pins 11 with the bar as aforesaid. The spiral or volute arrangement of the line of pins or stops 11 enables the wheels to rotate to a greater or lesser extent according to the advancement of the slide bars 1 across the wheels. Each pin or stop 11 is arranged to arrest the wheel in a position which brings one of the type figures into the marking position a over the carrier bed of the machine.

The type carrying chains or hands are returned to the zero position after the marking has taken place, by a reverse rotary movement of the driving spindle 9, and this movement imparts a backward rotation to the wheels 2, which continues until each wheel is arrested in the zero position by the contact of its pin 19 with the stop 20. The aforesaid backward and forward rotations are imparted to the shaft 9 by means of a chain or equivalent 37 (Figs. 1 and 4,) which passes around a chain or like wheel 38 on the said shaft, and is driven by a reversing gear device 39 (Figs. 4 and 5) of the double clutch or any other This reversing gear device is controlled by a slide bar 40 actuated in one direction by a spring 41 and in the other direction by a cam 42 on the wheel 35. The reversing gear device is mounted upon a shaft 43 driven by a pinion 14 from the wheel 35. The device 39 is so arranged and controlled that it drives the shaft 9 in either one direction or the other or allows it to remain stationary at the times required.

The type figures or marking devices 6 are suitable type.

inked by means of a positively driven inking device, a feature of which is that it only applies ink to the particular type which is to be used for marking the material. The ink applying mechanism does not come into operation until after the type has been set for marking, thus clogging of the type and wastage of ink is obviated. The inking mechanism comprises a roller 45 (Fig. 1) mounted conveniently upon the driven shaft 43, the said roller dipping into ink or paint contained in a trough 47. A roller 48 is adjustably pressed into contact with the roller 45 and is driven frictionally or by gearing from the roller 45 and takes ink or paint therefrom. By regulating the pressure of the roller 48 upon the roller 45 the amount of ink taken by the roller 48 may be regulated and thus the amount of ink to be applied to the type may be controlled.

The ink is applied to the type by means of a traveling roller or pad 4.9 carried by side chains 50 passed around chain wheels 51 mounted on shafts 52. The shafts 52 are supported by the side arms 8 and one is driven from the other by the chains 50. One of the shafts 52 is driven by a chain 53 (Figs. 2 and 4) from a chain wheel 54 on the shaft 9. This chain wheel 54 is loose on the shaft 9 and is rotated by an arm fast on the said shaft and which makes contact with a projecting pin 56 on the wheel during the rotation of the shaft. During the forward and backward rotations of the shaft 9 the arm 55 comes into contact with the pin 56 first on one side and then on the other thereby causing the chain wheel 54 to rotate first in one direction and then in the other.

The described movements of the chain wheel 54 cause the chains 50 to travel first in one direction and then in the other, and these movements carry the inking roller 49 to and fro past those types which occupy the marking position a. That is to say, normally the inking roller 49 occupies the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, in which position it is in contact with the roller 48 and receives ink therefrom. When the chain wheel 54 is rotated by the arm in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the inking roller 49 is caused to travel in the direction shown, so that it passes underneath and in contact with the face of the set type, thereby applying ink thereto, after which it is carried up to the position indicated at Z) in Fig. 1, where it remains during the operation of marking the ma terial. lVhen the shaft 9 is rotated in the reverse direction, the arm 55 reverses the motion of the chain wheel 54, so that the roller 49 is carried back to the normal position in contact with the roller 48. The lost motion between the arm 55 and chain wheel 54, which occurs at the commencement of "each rotation of the shaft 9, allows, in the one case the required type to be set in position a before the inkingroller 49 is traversed to apply ink to the type, and in the other case, the type, after marking, to return to zero before the inking roller returns to its normal position. Thus at each operation the ink is applied only to the types which are to be employed for marking, and further it is only applied thereto before marking takes place. The side chains 50 may pass along adjustable supporting guideways 57 (Figs. 2 and 4) in the locality of the set type, so as to insure the proper contact of the inking roller 49 with the face of the type. The material to be marked is lifted into contact with the set type by means of a platform or bed 58 (Figs. 1 and 4) located in the plane of the endless type carriers and capable of vertical movement underneath the supporting band 46. This platform or bed 58 is operated by mechanism consisting for eXample-0f levers 59 on a rockshaft 60, a lever'61 on the said rock shaft connected by a link 62 to a lever 63 on a second rock shaft 64, the latter having an arm 65 operated by a pin 66 on the aforesaid wheel 35. During the rotation of the wheel 35 in the direction shown by arrow in Fig. 1, the pin 66 actnates the intermediate mechanism to raise the platform or bed 58, thereby lifting the material on the support 46 into contact with the type. The bed 58 is lowered by springs 67. The treadle mechanism of the machine which is not herein shown as it is of well-known construction is preferably arranged so that when it is actuated to stop the travel of the carrier bed 46 for the material thereon to be marked it will also bring about the release of the plungers 17 and the setting of the slide bars 1, and put into action the type setting and inking mechanisms, which operations followed by the marking operation are then effected automatically, and upon their completion the carrier band 46 is restarted and all the parts are returned to the Zero position. In this manner the whole of the mechanism after being started by the treadle is automatic in its operation. To this end, the aforesaid wheel 35 is preferably made to constitute a controlling wheel, and additionally to the functions above described, it may control the travel of the bed or support 46 and also the action of the starting or driving clutch. In the present instance, a cam 68 is shown as acting on a slide bar 69 connected with a rockshaft 70, which is operatively connected in any suitable manner with the driving mechanism for the endless band or support 46.

In the preferred arrangement the controlling wheel 35 makes one complete revolution at each operation of the Whole of the markmg mechanism and in this operation the operations of the various parts take place in the following sequence: After the material has passed through the measuring members of the machine it is carried by the traveling support 46 underneath the marking mechanism. At this point the operator depresses a treadle not shown whereupon the clutch which drives the controlling wheel 35 is put into action and the said wheel commences its rotation, during which a cam on the wheel holds the driving clutch in action as already mentioned. As the wheel 35 rotates, the cam 68 causes the travel of the support 46 to stop, so that the material becomes stationary under the marking mechanism, the cam 34 also passing out of operation thereby releasing the rock levers 22, so that the slide bars 1 may be set to correspond with the indicated measurement. Then the cam 42 comes into operation and puts the gear device 39 into action, to rotate the shaft 9 in a forward direction, so that the type carrying chains 3 are traversed to bring the required types 6 into the marking position a, after which a continued rotation of the shaft 9 causes the inking roller 49 to move across and ink the set type and then the operation of the cam 42 ceases, so that rotation of the shaft 9 stops. During the remaining portion of the cycle of the controlling wheel 35, the pin 66 through the intermediate connecting mechanismraises the material into contact with the set and inked type, the material falling again when the pin 66 passes from contact with the arm 65. A further portion of cam 42 then comes into operation to cause a backward rotation of the shaft 9 to take place, which rotation first returns the types to the zero position and then returns the inking roller 49 to the normal position. About this time also the cam 34 comes into operation to return the plungers 1.7 and slide bars 1 to their normal positions, and the cam 68 operates to restart the support 46, whereby the marked material is carried away. As the controlling wheel completes its cycle, the cam thereon passes out of operation and releases the driving clutch of the wheel, so that the latter stops and remains stationary until the treadle is again'depressed to repeat the complete marking operation. A suitable connection may be made between the mechanism operated by the cam 68 and the mechanism on the measuring machine for returning the stepped disks 16 and indicator points to zero, and said cam may be so formed that it will impart to the actuated mechanism an additional movement, whereby the indicating members will be automatically returned to zero before the controlling wheel completes its cycle. In this manner all the operative parts of the machine are automatically set to zero and normal positions after each marking operation.

It is to be understood that the before mentioned controlling wheel may be arranged to effect or cause to be effected any or all of the operations described in con nection therewith and that thesequence of such operations may be slightly altered without materially affecting the complete performance of the marking mechanism.

The improved marking mechanism herein described may be applied to a machine which measures both area and thickness or it may be used on a machine which measures area without thickness.

What I claim then is 1. For an area measuring machine of the kind herein described, and for use in mechanism for marking the indicated measurement upon the material, type setting'mechanism comprising, the combination with a series of slide rods and rotatable means whereby said slide rods arewhen required-set to correspond with the measurement indicated, of a series of type traversing members, graduated-stops thereon, and means interposed between the said slide rods and the type traversing members adapted by engagement with the graduated stops to arrest the movement of the said members as each assumes a position in accordance with its corresponding slide rod and bring the types corresponding in value to the indicated measurement into the marking position, and a bed located in the plane of the type traversing members and cooperating with the type which have been moved into printing position.

2. In a marking mechanism of the kind described, a movable type carrier, poweroperated means for moving it, power-operated means for arresting said type-carrier in a selected position, a selecting device cooperating with said arresting means and movable with the latter by power, and power-operated means for moving said selecting device and said arresting means into inoperative positions.

3. For an area measuring machine of the kind herein described, and for use in mechanism for marking the indicated measurement upon the material, type setting mechanism comprising the combination with a series of slide rods and means whereby said slide rods arewhen requiredset to correspond with the measurement indicated, of a series of slide bars, rock levers and connecting links forming an operative connection between the slide bars and slide rods, a series of wheels, a shaft upon which said wheels are mounted and from which they are frictionally rotated independently of each other, means to reversibly drive said shaft, a cam to control said driving means, a series of projecting stops disposed in a graduated manner on the wheels and adapted to make contact with the slide bars, flexible means supported by the wheels, types on said means, carrier Wheels located in the vicinity of the traveling support for the material and around which the type carrying means are arranged, a movable rod to return the rock levers and connected slide bars and slide rods to the normal position, and a cam and intermediate mechanism to actuate said movable rod, substantially as described.

et. In marking mechanism of the kind herein described, in combination, a traveling support for the material to be marked, a movable bed located underneath the traveling support for the material, levers and rock shafts adapted when actuated to move said bed upward to bring the material into contact with the type, a rotatable device provided with means to actuate said levers and rock shafts, and springs to impart downward movement to the bed, substantially as described.

5. For marking mechanism of the kind herein described, in combination, type traversing means, an actuated mechanism therefor, inking mechanism comprising an ink applying member, a lost motion device in connection with the said actuating mechanism of the type traversing means, whereby said ink applying member is actuated to ink the type subsequently to the setting of the latter and is again actuated to return to the normal position subsequently to the return of the type to zero.

6. For marking mechanism of the kind herein described, in combination, type traversing members, an actuating shaft therefor, an inking device, a wheel rotatable on the said actuating shaft and adapted to actuate the inking device, an arm on said shaft, and a pin on the wheel with which said arm is adapted to make contact to rotate the wheel first in one direction and then the other, said arm having an idle movement at each reversal of the rotation of the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination with a marking mechanism to mark an indicated measurement upon material, means for operating said marking mechanism, a device for causing a marking device corresponding to the indicated measurement to be brought into its marking position, and power-operated means for rendering the device inefiective upon the marking mechanism.

8. The combination with a marking mechanism to mark an indicated measurement upon material, a plurality of endless type-carriers movable independently of each other, means for moving said type-carriers simultaneously, devices to arrest the said type-carriers individually, and thereby bring a selected type corresponding to an Copies of indicated measurement into marking position, means for selecting which endless typecarrier shall be arrested in its movement, and means for rendering said selecting means inefiective upon the type-carriers.

9. In a marking mechanism of the kind herein described, in combination, a plurality of endless type-carriers, means for moving said carriers simultaneously, means for arresting said type-carriers individually to enable said type-carriers to be brought into marking position without arresting other of said carriers, and means for automatically controlling said arresting means to position the selected type on said carriers in marking position, and a bed for the material to be marked cooperating with the said selected type on their carriers in the arrested position of the latter.

10. The combination with a stepped device movable by the material to be marked, of a marking mechanism to mark said material, power-operated means for moving said marking mechanism, means for arresting said marking mechanism in a selected position corresponding to the position into which the stepped device is moved by said material, a selecting device cooperating with said stepped device and operatively connected with said arresting means to position the latter and cause it to arrest the movement of the marking mechanism in a position to effect a marking which corresponds to the measurement of the material which is indicated by the position of the stepped device.

11. The combination with a stepped device movable by the material to be marked, of a marking mechanism to mark said material, power-operated means for moving said marking mechanism, means for arresting said marking mechanism in a selected osition corresponding to the position into which the stepped device is moved by said material, a selecting device cooperating with said stepped device and operatively connected with said arresting means to position the latter and cause it to arrest the movement of the marking mechanism in a position to eflect a marking which corresponds to the measurement of the material which is indicated by the position of the stepped device, and means for moving said selecting device and said arresting means into inoperative positions with relation to said stepped device and said marking mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV AD OLF SGHETTLER.

Witnesses:

N. W. C. TAYLOR, Gnonen Lnsrna.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

